Negatives attitudes toward children with autism are an important barrier to school inclusion. Despite the increasing amount of research, no psychometrically sound scale reliably measures these attitudes in young students. Our aim was to develop and validate a tool (Children’s Attitudes Toward Autism Questionnaire) to evaluate attitudes (three dimensions) of students in elementary school toward peers with autism. Elementary school students ( N = 204) completed the Children’s Attitudes Toward Autism Questionnaire and two other scales assessing behavioral intentions toward peers with mental disability (Shared Activities Questionnaire-B) and familiarity with disability and autism. The confirmatory factor analysis first showed a satisfactory model fit ( χ2/df = 3.65, root mean square error of approximation = 0.114, adjusted goodness of fit index = 0.970, standardized root mean square residual = 0.067, comparative fit index = 0.967, and non-normed fit index = 0.963) and internal consistency for each dimension was good (>0.70). Second, attitudes were more positive in girls, older children, and children familiar with disability (but not with autism). The behavioral dimension of the Children’s Attitudes Toward Autism Questionnaire had the strongest association with the Shared Activities Questionnaire-B. The Children’s Attitudes Toward Autism Questionnaire is the first scale (1) to assess the three dimensions of attitudes toward autism (2) among children (from the age of 6 years old) and (3) to show good psychometric quality. With the Children’s Attitudes Toward Autism Questionnaire, researchers can reliably measure children’s attitudes toward peers with autism, which is especially necessary when evaluating the effectiveness of much-needed anti-stigma programs. Lay abstract Research has shown that negative attitudes toward a different child can appear very early in development. Unfortunately, these negative attitudes are one of the most important barriers to the school inclusion of children with autism. Despite the increasing amount of research, no tool reliably measures these attitudes among young students. The objective of this study was to develop and validate a questionnaire (Children’s Attitudes Toward Autism Questionnaire) to evaluate attitudes of students in elementary school toward their peers with autism. Elementary school students ( N = 204) completed the Children’s Attitudes Toward Autism Questionnaire and two other scales assessing behavioral intentions toward peers with a mental disability (Shared Activities Questionnaire-B) and familiarity with disability and autism. Results first showed that the Children’s Attitudes Toward Autism Questionnaire reliably measured the concept of attitude through three sub-dimensions (namely, the cognitive, affective, and behavioral dimensions). Second, analyses confirmed that the Children’s Attitudes Toward Autism Questionnaire corresponds with previous knowledge on this topic, namely, that attitudes were more positive in girls, older children, and children familiar with disability. In conclusion, the Children’s Attitudes Toward Autism Questionnaire is the first scale (1) to assess all the dimensions of attitudes toward autism among elementary school children (from the age of 6 years old) and (2) to show theoretical and statistical relevance. From now on, the Children’s Attitudes Toward Autism Questionnaire can be used to assess attitudes of young children toward their peers with autism. This is an important step forward, in particular for evaluating the effects of anti-stigma programs that are increasingly implemented in schools.
<p>Natural disasters, such as postglacial landslides in Alpine valleys, recurrently reshape the natural and human landscape, impacting on settlements, land-use and architecture. Historical catastrophes were sometimes narrated and painted, so that in these cases chronicles and artistic representations can be integrated to geological, geomorphological, geophysical and archaeological data to describe the co-evolution of the natural and cultural landscape. This is the case of the Piuro landslide that in 1618 almost completely buried this renown and rich trading town in the Bregaglia Valley (Italy), on the way to the relevant alpine Maloja pass. Since it totally modified the valley floor, the catastrophe represents a turning point that permits to i) attempt the 3D reconstruction of the natural and archaeological landscape before and immediately after the disaster, ii) unravel the post-1618 increments of evolution of the natural landscape and settlements, iii) retrieve the memory of the area that underwent the disaster. To accomplish these aims we integrated: a new detailed DTM; a reconstruction of the relative chronology of burial, erosion and stabilization of the landforms after natural and anthropic processes pre- and post-dating the 1618 landslide; some subsurface stratigraphic logs and images based on new boreholes and geophysical surveys; age determinations based on radiocarbon and archeological/historical data; chronicles and paintings depicting the Piuro area before and after the disaster. The images we could draw show how human settlements were continuously controlled by the occurrence of landslides and other catastrophic processes like debris flows, before and after the 1618 landscape turning point. In the valley center we could detect a pre-1618 landslide body, whose mega-boulder reliefs were settled at least since the 4<sup>th</sup> &#8211; 5<sup>th</sup> century AD, at present buried below the Middle-ages and Renaissance Piuro villages. These landslide bodies provided also favorable settings for food preservation, whose memory and usage survived and reached the present-day under the vernacular denomination of &#8220;crotti&#8221;. At the millennial time scale no stable geomorphological surfaces do exist on the valley floor and lower slopes, since we could map the chronology of building of the debris flow-fan lobes, demonstrating how they evolved before and after the 1618 landslide, burying and/or being buried by the two major landslide bodies and interfingering with the trunk river alluvial sediments. Radiocarbon age determinations, archeological findings and the known ages of historical buildings permitted to recognize the geomorphological surfaces that remained stable on a shorter, secular, time scale, where the settlements could resume still competing with catastrophic processes that led to repetitive burial of several buildings during the last three centuries. Based on these results we could draw the 3D models of the Piuro area predating and immediately postdating the 1618 catastrophe. Historical paintings and chronicles largely confirm the relative chronology of landscape changes that we propose.</p> <p>The present work was co-funded through the EU, Regional Development European Fund, by Italian State, Helvetic Confederation and Cantons under the Interreg V-A IT-CH 2014-2020 Cooperation Program - A.M.AL.PI.2018 &#8220;Alpi in Movimento, Movimento nelle Alpi. Piuro 1618-2018", ID 594274 &#8211; Axis 2 &#8220;Cultural and natural enhancement&#8221;.</p>
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